The invention relates to a hydrostatic supporting device for a movable part which is to be supported and which comprises a sliding surface, the supporting device having a bearing shoe and a hydrostatic bearing pocket at the supporting surface of the bearing shoe and a ledge confining the bearing pocket, and having a hydraulic servomechanism between the bearing shoe and the foundation, the bearing pocket of the bearing shoe and/or the pressure chamber of the servomechanism being connectable to a pressure medium source.
A hydrostatic supporting device of this kind is known from Swiss Pat. No. 541 088 and Swiss Pat. No. 560 334. In this hydrostatic supporting device, the movable part being supported is supported by the pressure medium conveyed into the bearing pocket, and pressure medium flows out over the ledge of the pocket through the gap between the sliding surface of the part being supported and the supporting surface of the bearing shoe. Except for the region of the aforesaid ledge there is a floating friction situation, so that the supporting device operates with extremely small friction values. In the case of very high speeds of the sliding surface relatively to the hearing shoe it may happen that the bearing shoe will become skewed or that even metal to metal contact may occur between the bearing shoe and the sliding surface.